Carpet Buying Guide

When buying new carpet, you’re making an important investment in your home. Yet there’s more to consider than just colour. We’ve compiled a few tips to help you choose a quality carpet that’s perfect for your requirements.

Carpet Quotes

Carpet generally comes in rolls 3.66 metres (sometimes 4m) wide. One carpet metre (also known as lineal metres or broadloom metres) is 1m long x 3.66m wide.

Carpet quotes are measured in lineal metres. An average 3 bedroom/lounge/hallway home would require about 18 to 22 lineal metres or roughly 65m2 to 75m2 of carpet. This will vary from home to home, depending on the shape of the rooms.

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Carpet Styles

While carpet comes in many styles, the most popular are cut pile and loop pile. Your choice will come down to personal preference and the kind of usage your carpet will endure.

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Carpet Fibre

We recommend carpets that are a 100% blend, rather than mixed fibres. Mixed fibres are generally cheaper, but of less quality. The most common fibres are Solution Dyed Nylon, Polyester, Polypropylene, Wool and Triexta.

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Carpet Density

The denser the carpet, the thicker the fibres have been packed together.

Carpet density is measured in ounces per square yard, ranging from 24 oz to 72 oz (or 3kg to 9kg).

Depending on your budget and the requirements of your carpet, we suggest that you aim for a density between 28 and 48 ounces. Denser carpets are less likely to show signs of tracking.

Colour

The colour of your carpet is largely down to personal preference, though various shades of grey, beige and brown currently most popular.

Carpets should also match the light or darkness of your house and we recommend comparing samples in your home.

As a rule, carpet will look slightly lighter in full size, than it will in a small sample size.

For families with children and pets, and for rental houses, mid to dark colours are recommended to avoid fading and staining. Yet it is important to note that fluff and crumbs are far more visible on darker carpets and therefore require more regular vacuuming.

Underlay

A quality underlay is very important and should not be overlooked. Not only does underlay reduce footstep noise on upper floors, a dense underlay also acts as insulation, keeping your floors warm and adding comfort.

Underlay is measured in both thickness (9mm to 12mm) and density (75kg/m3 to 130kg/m3).

The 'standard' is 10mm 90kg/m3. We recommend choosing an underlay 11mm thick and with 110 kg/m3 or higher density.

General Tips and Maintenance

Depending on the traffic endured, all carpets will show signs of wear and tear over time.

To minimise the impact and keep your carpet in shape, regularly cleaning is essential. In addition to vacuuming we recommend annual professional cleaning or steam-mopping.

Always refer to the carpet manufacturer specifications for carpet maintenance procedures.

We recommend purchasing carpets with a 6-star-rating for “Residential – Extra Heavy Use” ACCS Rating (Australian Carpet Classification Scheme).

Carpet Installation Advice

• Doors may need trimming with new thicker underlay/carpet.
• The wooden tack strips (smoothedge) stay down and get reused.
• Allow paint sufficient drying time before installing new carpet.
• If you are uplifting the carpet yourself, use a spade to remove old underlay staples
• You do not need to be home for the installation, and it is often easiest if customers are not home, as it can be a health and safety issue, Simply make sure someone is contactable during the day.
• Create a clear path for access to the installation area, and ensure children and pets cannot gain access.
• Ensure there is power, water and a bathroom available for the carpet layer.